A few weeks with Samsung's Galaxy S III smartphone

The rise of smartphones has been a truly impressive trend to watch. Devices that started as PDA/cellphone hybrids have quickly evolved into robust portable computing platforms. They're still limited by relatively small screens and cramped physical inputs, but those restrictions seem like a small price to pay for the truly pocketable mini tablets we have today.

In the not-an-iPhone camp, Samsung's Galaxy S III is the new hotness. This ultra-slim handset has a massive screen with a 720p resolution, a speedy SoC fabbed using 28-nm process technology, and user-friendly features like a microSDXC slot and an easily replaceable battery. On top of that foundation sits Google's Android OS, which has been infused with Samsung's TouchWiz interface tweaks and support for additional gestures.

We've largely steered clear of covering smartphones here at TR. However, as devices become more compelling computers, our interest in them grows. That's part of the reason why the Galaxy S III has been at my side for the better part of a few weeks now. Also, I was shopping around for a new smartphone and couldn't resist the opportunity for an extended test drive. Playing around with a handset briefly in-store doesn't always provide an accurate sense of the thing. Read on to see what the Galaxy S III is like—and whether it's become my daily driver.